Who’s Returning In The Gilded Age Season 4? Everything You Need To Know

America’s answer to Downton Abbey, The Gilded Age tracks the lives, loves and dramas of New York high society through the throes of the fin de siecle. Delving into the conflict between old and new money, the politics of marriage and the era’s technological advances, it’s all set against dazzling backdrops, lavish mansions and opulent gowns. With the HBO period drama back for a fourth season this November, here’s everything you need to know before you tune in. 

Denée Benton and Jordan Donica in The Gilded Age. Photograph by Karolina Wojtasik/HBO

What Is The Gilded Age About?

Created, executive produced and co-written by Julian Fellowes (alongside Sonja Warfield), The Gilded Age delves into the glamorous world of late 19th century New York. Season 1 and season 2 were set in 1882, while season 3 is expected to take us through to 1883. This is slap bang in the middle of the real ‘Gilded Age’, which lasted from the 1870s to the late 1890s.

In series 1, The Gilded Age follows Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson), a young woman who moves to New York City from Doylestown, Pennsylvania following the death of her bankrupted father. She moves in with her aunts, Agnes (Christine Baranski) and Ada (Cynthia Nixon), who embody old-money values, but have recently gained some new-money neighbours, the Russell family: husband and wife George (Morgan Spector) and Bertha (Carrie Coon), and their two young adult children Larry (Harry Richardson) and Gladys (Taissa Farmiga).

As Marian settles into her new life in New York City, tensions arise between the Russells and Marian’s aunts. Flouting societal expectations, Marian befriends an eclectic group of women and chooses an unconventional suitor, young lawyer Tom (Thomas Cocquerel). What proceeds is a deep dive into the period’s social conventions, as the world as they once knew it starts to change. 

Morgan Spector in The Gilded Age. Photograph by Karolina Wojtasik/HBO

What Happened In Season 3? (Spoilers Ahead…)

At the open of season 3, the old guard is weakened by the Opera War, and the Russells are poised to take their place at the head of society. Bertha Russell took the helm this season, breaking up her daughter Gladys’s secret engagement to Billy Carlton and steering her into a reluctant and miserable marriage with Hector, Duke of Buckingham.

Back in New York, Marian and Larry got engaged, and the newly wealthy Ada took charge of the van Rhijn household, much to Agnes’s chagrin. Peggy Scott, meanwhile, won a proposal from Dr William Kirkland despite his snobbish mother’s best efforts to keep them apart. 

The finale saw Russell patriarch George get shot, fresh from a ruthless railroad battle. And though he survived to live another day, his marriage to Bertha did not – with the two agreeing to live apart after her relentless social climbing culminates in a grand gala where she lifts the ban on divorced women. Oscar, grieving the death of John Adams, proposed a marriage of convenience to the widowed Mrs Winterton, and Gladys returned to New York expecting an heir. 

Christine Baranski and Cynthia Nixon in The Gilded Age. Photograph by Karolina Wojtasik/HBO

What Will Happen In Season 4?

The season 4 trailer suggests that the Russells are in hot water from the off. Having lifted the ban on divorced women at the end of last season, Bertha’s family now must reckon with the consequences of her actions. As she begs George to return to her roof, Agnes van Rhijn seizes an opportunity to regain her social position via an elaborate presidential dinner. Meanwhile, Marian (Louisa Jacobson) forges a new path for herself, and Peggy (Denée Benton) works to be accepted by her future in-laws. And it seems that George has a formidable new rival in store, in the form of none other than John D Rockefeller. 

Get a taste of the action in the trailer below.

The Cast

Unfortunately some key cast members will be leaving us in season 4. George Russell’s (Morgan Spector) secretary Richard Clay, played by Patrick Page, will not be returning next series, having been fired by George after he failed to close a major deal. He then went on to align himself with a top rival to get back at his former boss and became a prime suspect in George’s shooting.

New York Globe publisher T Thomas Fortune (Sullivan Jones) will also not be returning. An editor of aspiring writer Peggy Scott (Denée Benton), Thomas Fortune was her mentor before he crossed a line and pursued a romantic relationship with her. 

Blake Ritson and Kelley Curran in The Gilded Age. Photograph by Karolina Wojtasik/HBO

New cast additions for season 4 of The Gilded Age include Taylor Trensch, James Scully, Dennis Haysbert, Maggie Kuntz, Neal Huff, Bonnie Milligan, Jim Gaffigan, Dallas Roberts, Andrew Burnap, Elizabeth Marvel and Adrienne Warren.

Other key cast members to know include…

• Carrie Coon as Bertha Russell
• Morgan Spector as George Russell
• Louisa Jacobson as Marian Brook
• Cynthia Nixon as Ada Forte
• Christine Baranski as Agnes van Rhijn
• Denée Benton as Peggy Scott
• Taissa Farmiga as Gladys, Duchess of Buckingham
• Harry Richardson as Larry Russell
• Blake Ritson as Oscar van Rhijn
• Jordan Donica as Dr William Kirkland
• Simon Jones as Mr Bannister
• Jack Gilpin as Mr Church
• Ben Ahlers as John ‘Jack’ Trotter
• Celia Keenan-Bolger as Mrs Bruce
• Debra Monk as Mrs Armstrong
• Donna Murphy as Caroline Schermerhorn Astor
• Kristine Nielsen as Mrs Bauer
• Kelli O’Hara as Aurora Fane
• Taylor Richardson as Bridget
• Douglas Sills as Josh Borden
• John Douglas Thompson as Arthur Scott
• Erin Wilhelmi as Adelheid Weber
• Kelley Curran as Enid Winterton
• Audra McDonald as Dorothy Scott
• Ashlie Atkinson as Mamie Fish
• Ben Lamb as Hector, Duke of Buckingham 
• Phylicia Rashad as Elizabeth Kirkland 
• Brian Stokes Mitchell as Frederick Kirkland 
• Jessica Frances Dukes as Athena Trumbo 
• Hattie Morahan as Lady Sarah Vere 
• Victoria Clark as Joan Carlton 

The Gilded Age Season 4 Release Date

In the US, The Gilded Age series 4 will premiere on Sunday 1 November at 9pm on HBO and HBO Max. In the UK, meanwhile, the series will air on 2 November 2026 at 9pm on Sky Atlantic and the streaming service NOW. The season will consist of eight episodes and will be aired weekly. Season 1 through 3 are currently available to stream on nowtv.com